SF Tenderloin Mothers Get Day Of Pampering With Help From Volunteer Salon

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Every mom deserves a little pampering on Mother’s Day, and the same is true for some San Francisco mothers who struggle to make ends meet.

The Hamilton Family Center in San Francisco’s Tenderloin was made over into a salon Sunday, with volunteer makeup artists, and even a violinist playing classical music.

“They feel beautiful. I feel happy,” Ernesto Duarte, one of the makeup artists who volunteered his time said.

It’s the 20th year for the event, with 35 moms taking advantage of what organizers said was the most extravagant one yet.

“There’s a stigma around being homeless. For them, there is no stigma today,” Programs Director Ralph Payton said.

The moms were treated to a brunch away from the kids, high atop San Francisco’s Starlight Room, where they reflected on what a day of relaxation gives them.

“I’m a single mother. I really have no help, so every day is stress,” mother Loto Sosene said.

“Single mothers, mothers in a shelter, we struggle everyday trying to make it, and we don’t have time for ourselves. But, when we have days like this, it’s very special to us,” Julie Ifopo, another mother said.

Donations to the Hamilton Family Center made the day possible. The non-profit provides emergency shelter, and transitional housing for women.